Notes, quotes and observations from Wednesday’s practice, locker room

ALAMEDA — A calf injury cost rookie Menelik Watson almost all of training camp. Now, on the eve of Watson starting at left offensive tackle for the Raiders in their regular-season opener against the Indianapolis Colts, Watson is battling a knee injury.
Coach Dennis Allen said Watson “tweaked” a knee in practice today. To that end, Watson was limited in practice, and his status for Sunday’s game against the Colts is up in the air.
If Watson can’t play Sunday, Allen said, veteran Khalif Barnes will take over on the left side, with recently signed veteran Tony Pashos replacing Barnes at right offensive tackle.
Barnes started at left tackle for his four seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He has played right tackle almost exclusively during his Raiders career.
Left tackle continues to be a revolving door, of sorts, on the heels of entrenched regular Jared Veldheer suffering a torn triceps.
Once Veldheer went down, the Raiders tried veteran Alex Barron. That experiment bombed, with the Raiders releasing Barron last Saturday.
Watson started Oakland’s exhibition finale against the Seattle Seahawks at left tackle and held up quite well, though the competition and noise were mitigated somewhat by the meaningless nature of the game.

— The news is better concerning kicker Sebastian Janikowski. Allen revealed that Janikowski has been sidelined of late with a right calf injury and, more important, that his standout kicker will be ready to go against the Colts.
The Raiders signed Justin Medlock to kick for Janikowski against the Seahawks last Thursday night. They then waived Medlock two days later.
Janikowski was not at practice today. However, Allen wasted little time in saying, “He’ll be fine,”

— Tight end David Ausberry worked with a trainer off to the side today, while his teammates practiced on an adjacent field. It appears as if Ausberry’s injured shoulder is making progress, based on how he looked.
“I’m making progress every day,” Ausberry said. “It’s getting better, and I hope I’ll be able to play again real soon.”
Allen didn’t shed much light on the situation, as expected.
“I’m not going to make that decision yet,” Allen said, when asked if Ausberry is going to play Sunday. “He’s not ready to go, but I won’t have to decide on his status until later in the week. We’ll see how he continues to progress as the week goes on.”
Ausberry said he has to weigh the short-term gain of returning too soon versus the long-term gain of making sure he is at or near full strength upon his return.
He is the starting tight end whenever he’s healthy. If he can’t play, the Raiders will choose from among Jeron Mastrud and rookies Mychal Rivera and Nick Kasa. Mastrud likely will start if Ausberry isn’t able to do so.

— Colts coach Chuck Pagano spent the 2005 and ’06 seasons with the Raiders as their defensive backs coach. He worked under Norv Turner and Art Shell.
He said he enjoyed his time here, even though the Raiders won four games in ’04 and two in ’06.
“The most memorable moments were spent with Mr. Davis,” Pagano said of late owner Al Davis. “It was an honor to work under a man, a legend and an icon that he is and was. I learned so much from him.
“When my career is over and done, I’ll always look back on those moments. It was a great opportunity for me, a great two years. Everybody else would say that the opportunity was very unique. I am humbled by it and honored to have had that opportunity.”

— The Raiders boast 27 players on their 53-man roster that weren’t on the team last year. All but one will be making their Raiders debut Sunday, with safety Charles Woodson in his second go round with the team that drafted him in 1998.
That figure also might change if the Raiders make a roster move or two between now and Sunday, which is possible.
One potential move is with Veldheer. Allen said the Raiders aren’t in any hurry to decide whether to place Veldheer on the injured reserve/designated to return list.
Teams are permitted to use that designation once per season. They are expected to do so this season with Veldheer, but not until they are certain that Veldheer is going to be able to return at a reasonable time during the season.

— Fullback Marcel Reece (offense), defensive end Lamarr Houston (defense) and long-snapper Jon Condo (special teams) were voted team captains, Allen said.
Houston receiving the honor adds to the role that Allen and others envisioned their defensive linchpin playing this season.
“Lamarr was a guy that, going into the offseason, that we kind of pegged as a guy that we wanted to be a leader for this team,” Allen said. “He began to take a little bit of that role at the end of last year and he’s continued to improve in that regard as we’ve gone through the offseason and training camp.”

— Allen said one of the objectives of training camp was identifying a clear-cut, No. 1 wide receiver.
Allen and receiver Rod Streater stopped shy of saying whether the Raiders feel as if they achieved their stated goal.
“We have a lot of good receivers,” Allen said. “All those guys can step up and make plays. We’re happy where we’re at from the receiver position. We have guys that bring different elements and different strengths.”
Streater said all he knows is that he is a starter and that he is expected to make plays every game. Therefore, it doesn’t matter to him whether he’s considered the go-to guy or not.

— Few give the Raiders a chance to do well this season. That fact obviously isn’t lost on Allen and his coaches and players.
Still, it doesn’t change their approach or get them too riled up.
“The expectations in what we are as a football team will be defined inside this building,” Allen said. “That’s the only way you can look at it. We’re focused on doing the best that we can to continue to improve, and we’re really focused on how we’re going to try to win this game against the Indianapolis Colts. And that’s our only focus right now.”

Steve Corkran

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Mike Vick is a veteran. he has class. he’s a talented football player. I was sort of hoping that Chip Kelly would dump him (so we could sign him!) and roll with Foles, but it doesn’t look like that’ll happen

kudos to Vick for breaking up the fight and realizing that people make mistakes.

if you read that article, you’ll know that Cary Williams has issues of his own…

“I prepared even back in my first year when Carson (Palmer) first came in, and last year when I was nowhere in sight to even play,” Pryor said. “I still studied, was in the room with him and tried to understand defenses and get better. Whatever the chance is, I’ll be ready.”- pryor

give the young man some respect!!!

even though he admits that the coaches were burying him he fought through the adversity and snubbs by allen and knapp.

Now is his moment and he will get at least 6-7 games no matter how much he struggles.

I LOVE IT!!!!!!

fugg flynn palmer knapp allen and anyone else that tried to hold him back or was in his way

PRYOR IS BY FAR THE SINGLE MOST TALENTED QB WE HAVE SEEN IN SILVER AND BLACK SINCE….POSSIBLY EVER

best season ever and finally a qb worth watching since the dreaded collar bone curse fell upon this moribund franchise
=========
Since possibly EVER?
Guess some missed that memo.
This morning’s paper, Marc Purdy theory: “Most people blame a substandard roster for the Raiders failings, but I believe there are large magnets buried in the Raider turf at Oco, that influence the flight of magnet in-bedded balls. Just watch some of the ridiculous off-target passes thrown by Pryor this season, and tell me I’m wrong.”

I’m just sure he’ll backtrack and apologize.
Because, after all, Pryor is the best EVER.

You got dropped a lot as a baby, didn’t you?
MY theory is that your Dad, in his haste to slam that gloved fist in the air, yelling Black Power, in his Panther days, forgot he was holding you.

Sorry Rockstar but I and others like Dakota called out that blitz last year when it first started.

RaiderRockstar

@Marley

well, we know Gio couldn’t get there on the safety blitz … how about old man Woodson?

I’d prefer to send Ross or Young – perhaps even Tyvon Branch or Taiwan Jones!

R8erEduc8er

RaiderRockstar Says:
September 5th, 2013 at 10:13 am
@inonewordraider

Mike Vick is a veteran. he has class. he’s a talented football player. I was sort of hoping that Chip Kelly would dump him (so we could sign him!) and roll with Foles, but it doesn’t look like that’ll happen

kudos to Vick for breaking up the fight and realizing that people make mistakes.

if you read that article, you’ll know that Cary Williams has issues of his own…
—————————————————-
Actually the fight was already broken up lol. Vick actually almost became part of the fight. The hood that Vick buried deep deep down (post dog fighting) almost came up out of him. That would have been disasterous for the Eagles heading into week 1.

The Big Banana

RaiderRockstar Says:
September 5th, 2013 at 9:43 am
“I’m fired up for T.P.,” Arizona quarterback Carson Palmer told ESPN.com. “I know he has patiently waited for his opportunity and has never lost confidence or focus while sitting patiently. He has worked as hard, or harder, than every other starter in the league and I believe he will play with a passion and intensity that the entire Raider Nation will be proud of.”

***

maybe now the Cult of Palmer will support Pryor as well?

—–

Lol, RRS. Palmer has spoken. The cult must now fall in line or denounce his decree.

GhostTooThePost

Mistic1 Tha Supavillain Says:
September 5th, 2013 at 10:08 am

im going to laugh at all of the closet haters here saying they are now on board with pryor while also saying they expect him and the team to be awful out of the other side of thier faces.

pryor will elevate the team and will win more games than plamer did.

pryor will take this team to 6 or more wins this season, bad defense injured o line crappy coach and all

dont try and say later that you were for pryor all along either

pryor will own you
=========
Amazes me you continue to set yourself up.
Even you can’t deny a 9.9 qb rating.
Even you can’t deny he has a long way to go.

Instead you make predictions like this that will come back and bite you.

Oh, by the way, you’ve already used up your “whine like a little child” card about how “Pryor should just be traded. Let him go somewhere else. This isn’t fair. THIS ISN’T FAIR!!!!!”

Mistic1 Tha Supavillain

Now that pryor is most likley the full time starter we get to evaluate how good olson is or isnt

pryor having reamed the so called “package” down dennis allens throat, ahs placed the onus squarely on olson.

What will this offense llok like? How quickly can olson build this hybrid offense? Can he call an effective hybrid game?

So far im grading the coaches a big fat F. Why?

IN my mind there is simply no way to excuse the fact that this coaching staff missed the opportunity to install and build the hybrid offense during the entire offseason program. It is also beyond sinful that they tried to restrict pryor to a so called package gimmick. All of this in favor of un proven cast off career back up qb with an arm that a kangaroo mouse would laugh at.

Now they are behind the eight ball scrambling to try and build an offense for our once in a life time dynamic talent who is 24 years of age and could lead this team for the next decade!!!

i mean it took mnark davis to intervene.

i will be watching olson closley as he will attempt to do what the niners and hawks did last year and switch gears mid stream. It can be done, it should not have taken this long for it to happen.

I still am hoping for a coaching change next year

sumlin a&m

sweeny /morris clemson

mahlzahn / auburn

shaw/ stanford

bevel/ seattle

roman / niners

RaiderRockstar

Palmer has spoken. The cult must now fall in line or denounce his decree.

***

exactly, Banana!

The_Judge37

How bad is DA and Tarver’s defense?

So bad it made them Draft Tyler Wilson because of his abilty to smoke them in the Senior Bowl.

R8erEduc8er

I hope we practiced defensing against play action and misdirection alllllll week! That schyt was unacceptable vs. Seahawks. And if we start Pryor (not convinced he is), can we please roll him out to his throwing side of the field! Makes no sense rolling him out to his non-throwing side….even if a receiver was open, he couldn’t make the throw.

RaiderRockstar

@Judge

if a dumb redneck with toddler hands can shred a DA/JT defense … what do you think Andrew Luck will do ??

RaiderRockstar

I hope we practiced defensing against play action and misdirection alllllll week! That schyt was unacceptable vs. Seahawks

***

@Educ

Indy TE’s Allen & Fleener are available in most fantasy football leagues! #signem

GhostTooThePost

SnBG Says:
September 5th, 2013 at 9:40 am

RR, I’ll be back later, will you be here?
————–
No twerking.

R8erEduc8er

un proven cast off career back up qb with an arm that a kangaroo mouse would laugh at.
————————————————-

i hope he beats the hell out of coop and i hope the rest of the eagles that look like Williams join n and stomp his azz right out of the nfl

fugg cooper

The_Judge37

667.RaiderRockstar Says:
September 5th, 2013 at 10:25 am
@Judge

if a dumb redneck with toddler hands can shred a DA/JT defense … what do you think Andrew Luck will do ??
—–

Hopefully he’ll do a Kyle Orton and fumble at the mere sight of Lamar Houston. It’s our only hope.

RaiderRockstar

@Mistic

Cooper would whip your behind in a fight. you wouldn’t say any of that to his face

Mistic1 Tha Supavillain

stop with the bs

what cooper did was not a “mistake’

a mistake is an accident cooper intentionally said what he said and did it with passion

that is who cooper truly is, and it shouldnt surprise anyone

i hope they beat the fugg out of this dude or he gets carted off the field in a neck brace

GhostTooThePost

Why is anyone mentioning mark davis intervening?

He is very likely the absolute least knowledgeable “owner” in the NFL, and is admittedly the least likely to intervene.

He’s stated it numerous times that Reg gets paid a lot of money to be the GM, and that all decisions are on him.

Owners “intervene” on the average of once every 2-3 years, across the league.
That’s ONE owner butting in every few years. At least what is made public, of course.
Last I recall was Titan’s owner telling Fisher who to start years ago. (that backfired, I believe)
NO WAY IN HELL MARK DAVIS BUTTS IN.

RaiderRockstar

everybody is looking ahead to the “more winnable” home opener versus JAX … i’m not

Gabbert outplayed Palmer last year, before he got hurt and Henne played the entire 2nd half

MJD also was injured in that game and we shut down RJ (now a Raider)

with both of those guys 100% i’m not as confident, especially with a new HC (bradley). Mularkey was a train wreck

Because sheeple in here like to believe anything the media heads put on their plates.

GhostTooThePost

RaiderRockstar Says:
September 5th, 2013 at 10:29 am

@Mistic

Cooper would whip your behind in a fight. you wouldn’t say any of that to his face
===========
One saving grace is if Nancy ever did say anything to Coopers face, while Cooper was laughing at Nancy’s high pitched feminine voice, Nancy could take that opportunity to run off.
Not a bad ploy, all things considered.

Mistic1 Tha Supavillain

DutchRaider77 Says:
September 5th, 2013 at 10:12 am
@Mistic1
Seriously, what is wrong with you?

Pryor has said that Palmer was guys that gave him encouragement to stick to playing quaterback and was like a “father” to him? Not my words his, Pryors.

“I’m fired up for T.P.,” Arizona quarterback Carson Palmer told ESPN.com. “I know he has patiently waited for his opportunity and has never lost confidence or focus while sitting patiently. He has worked as hard, or harder, than every other starter in the league and I believe he will play with a passion and intensity that the entire Raider Nation will be proud of.”

I also like you doctored the quote Pryor quote…
“Even back in my first year, when Carson first came here, even last year when I was nowhere in sight to even play, I still studied, and I still was in the room with him and trying to understand defenses and trying to get better.”
==============

actaully dutch i simply copied the qoute from this board, so it wasnt me that ‘doctored” the qoute

secondly who gives a rats azz if pryor looked up to palmer?

what does that have to do with what i wrote?

plamer was a loser and should have been benched in favor of pryor last year

fugg palmer and his 8-16 record his mountain of mind blowing turnovers and sideline tantrums.

Im gald we now have a “real” qb

GhostTooThePost

RaiderRockstar Says:
September 5th, 2013 at 10:32 am

everybody is looking ahead to the “more winnable” home opener versus JAX … i’m not
==============
But that’s my week to pick the Raiders to win in the survival league. You have to use each team at least once, right?

Darn.

GhostTooThePost

Im gald we now have a “real” qb
===========
We’re all “gald” Nancy, oh yes we are.

RaiderRockstar

But that’s my week to pick the Raiders to win in the survival league. You have to use each team at least once, right?

Darn.

***

lol !

wait and see how the Raiders do this week, before you start them vs anybody

Mistic1 Tha Supavillain

Oh, by the way, you’ve already used up your “whine like a little child” card about how “Pryor should just be traded. Let him go somewhere else. This isn’t fair. THIS ISN’T FAIR!!!!!”
================

i never said that you are confusing me with someone else

i would never advocate trading the single best player on our team and the future afc west king

zopi

Forget about the Qb conundrum, iIf any part of the team looked sorry this pre-season was the first-team defense. This side of the ball, has the only returning coordinator Tarver, and a head coach who allegedly comes from a defensive-minded background. However vanilla schemes they showed in the preseason, this unit has a lot to work on. If again the critics say anything about the linebackers, let’s remember they are all the Big Mac Zar’s one-year rentals + Sio Moore.

Davy Jones

Another thing that Pryor shows that I can’t remember seeing from a Raiders QB since Gannon- improvement.

Name another Raiders QB who has shown any improvement from year to year while in a Raiders Uniform, it’s not easy.

the famous dr robert

Pryor sucks

Mistic1 Tha Supavillain

lmao riley cooper?!?!?

i would beat the fugg out of that racist pos

R8erEduc8er

“The organization has shown tremendous faith in me, and I’m very grateful for that,” McFadden said, via Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com. ‘I feel like it shows real faith in me and in this offense as a whole. They clearly have confidence in my ability and what I can do in a downhill running scheme. I’m so excited to be able to run in this type of offense again. I feel like I owe the Raiders a fantastic season.”

GhostTooThePost

Get your prediction in or change your existing prediction. All predictions are final about 75 hours from now. Remember, anyone predicting the win total exactly earns the right to talk trash and wins an autographed Tits Allen over the shoulder boulder holder. Tits says he knows but ain’t saying, don’t be stupid like Tits – ADD OR CHANGE YOUR PREDICTION.
COPY AND PASTE THOSE PREDICTIONS IN.

Davy Jones Says:
September 5th, 2013 at 10:40 am
Another thing that Pryor shows that I can’t remember seeing from a Raiders QB since Gannon- improvement.

Name another Raiders QB who has shown any improvement from year to year while in a Raiders Uniform, it’s not easy.
================

jc

he improved as 2010 rolled along and at the start of 2011 before his injury he may have been playing the best football of his career ( he says he was, not from a stats stand point but running an offense with pre sanp audibles and calling his own game)

not only did jc improve but he also raised the level of the entire raider team, suddenly dmac was one of the best dhb and moore were having breakout campaigns and we were winning

‘I feel like it shows real faith in me and in this offense as a whole. They clearly have confidence in my ability and what I can do in a downhill running scheme. I’m so excited to be able to run in this type of offense again. I feel like I owe the Raiders a fantastic season.”

– Dmc

hwnrdr

Oooh oooh ooohhh! (While raising my hand in the air like Arnold Horseshack)! I can post, I can post!!!

Chunky Monkey and Titty Monkey are killing this team. We finished 8-8 in 2010 and 11 (we did it with the worst DC in the league), and now we are looking at ANOTHER 4-12 season, and some of You People think we improved?!?!
You People are as clueless as Chunky Monkey and his Titty Monkey. CLUELESS!!!

R8erEduc8er

“I think we’re being underestimated,” McFadden said. “We’re better than most people think. I think we’ll win some games and prove some of our doubters wrong.”

hwnrdr

696.R8erEduc8er Says:
September 5th, 2013 at 10:52 am
“I think we’re being underestimated,” McFadden said. “We’re better than most people think. I think we’ll win some games and prove some of our doubters wrong.”

only a paerson that knows nothing about fighting would look at height as reason for fighting success or failure

but no im 6′ even and a lean 192 lbs with very little body fat

mainly because i teach martial arts work out regularly and abstain from the junk food gmo laden so called amrikkkan or eurocentric diet. Nor do i take in a plantation based slave diet (the bastard offspring of the eurocentric diet).

in fact i avoid almost anything that is called food that is white in color, that alone helps keep people like me healthy

Eating mainly live and organic foods and letting the sun repair and my melanin and drinking lots of water keeps me sharp ready and lean

hwnrdr

Until I see Sunday…I’m still holding on to “we will surprise people this year!”